ChatGPT SEO: How to Get Cited in AI Answers

What Is ChatGPT’s Version of SEO?

ChatGPT’s version of SEO is typically called generative engine optimization (GEO) and is the process of optimizing your content to be cited or mentioned in ChatGPT responses to relevant questions.

ChatGPT can reference brands in two ways when responding to prompts.

First, it can discuss a brand in text only when it generates an answer from its knowledge gained during initial training. These answers don’t include links.

For example, a user asking “which is the best sneaker brand?” gets a straightforward list with no links.

Second, ChatGPT can perform a live web search to look up information online. And it then includes citations (links) to relevant sources.

For example, if you search “Best SEO tools in 2025,” ChatGPT will search the web and show results with source links.

ChatGPT is more likely to use web search when the query is recent, asks for comparisons, or requests recommendations. You can also trigger a search manually.

Why Is Appearing in ChatGPT Important?

SEO for ChatGPT is important because AI search is becoming a major source of customer discovery and can drive measurable results.

Here are some more specific reasons to start focusing on ChatGPT optimization now:

• Rapid growth of AI search use: ChatGPT has hundreds of millions of weekly active users and is growing fast
• Citations equal visibility: When ChatGPT lists your brand among the sources included in its response, your brand is visible where users are actively gathering information
• Lower competition compared to Google rankings: For now, there are fewer brands actively optimizing for ChatGPT citations than for traditional SERP rankings
• More conversion potential: Our research shows a visitor from a large language model tool (LLM) like ChatGPT is worth 4.4 times more on average than a traditional organic search visitor

How ChatGPT Citations Compare to Search Results

ChatGPT overlaps with top search results to some degree—but less than you might think.

I analyzed 30 commercial queries and compared ChatGPT's citations with the first page of results from Bing and Google. I focused on unique domains since some sites would appear multiple times and excluded AI-generated results like AI Overviews. But I did include organic SERP features like product carousels and YouTube videos.

Here are the main findings from my August 2025 analysis:

• ChatGPT cites an average of 12 sources per answer
• About 18% of ChatGPT's cited domains appear in Google’s first page of results
• About 18% of ChatGPT’s cited domains appear in Bing’s first page of results

This means over 80% of ChatGPT's citations come from sources outside the top search results—at least in this small analysis. Including niche sites and specialized publications. 

That variation also means your brand's visibility can vary dramatically across platforms. 

How to Gain Visibility in ChatGPT

Make Sure Your Site Is Crawlable

Your site needs to be accessible to ChatGPT's crawler (OAI-SearchBot), Google's crawler (Googlebot), and Bing's crawler (Bingbot) to be fully eligible for ChatGPT citations. 

(ChatGPT often draws from major search engine results, making Google’s and Bing’s crawlers equally important.)

Open your site's robots.txt file in your browser ([yourdomain.com]/robots.txt) to check that you're not blocking these crawlers.

For example, if you see this:

Change it to:

Do the same for Googlebot and Bingbot if needed. Just know that this is a simplified example that tells the crawler to access all your pages. 

Save your updated robots.txt file and upload it to your site's root folder. (Ask a developer if you need help.)

Also, ensure your important content isn't hidden behind login forms, paywalls, or JavaScript-rendered elements that crawlers can't access.

And if you haven't already, set up Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to submit your sitemap and monitor indexing. Use each platform’s URL inspection tool to verify that your pages don’t have any issues.

Here’s an example report from Bing Webmaster Tools:

Target the Queries ChatGPT Users Are Likely to Enter

ChatGPT users tend to ask specific, conversational questions that ChatGPT may break down into multiple related searches when looking for information online.

Consider a user who enters “what are the best running shoes?” ChatGPT might search for variations like "best running shoes for marathoners," "best trail running shoes," and "best lightweight running shoes for racing."

To find these types of conversational queries, use Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool. Open the tool, enter a broad term (e.g., "running shoes"), and click “Search.”

Go to the “Questions” tab and look for relevant, more specific variations of your keyword.

When you find a relevant term, click to open it in Semrush’s Keyword Overview tool. 

Scroll down to the “Keyword Ideas” section and look at the “Keyword Variations.” 

Click “View all # keywords” to see the complete list.

You’ll likely see numerous keyword variations your target audience is searching for that you can use for the same piece of content. For example, in your headings, in an FAQ section, in body copy, etc.

Covering different keyword variations in your content may help ChatGPT match your pages to the searches it actually performs on behalf of users.

Structure Your Content Thoughtfully

Structure your content in self-contained sections of headings and body copy that contain no more than a couple hundred words (and shorter is often better) so ChatGPT can more easily extract relevant information.

Think of the headings as questions that you then want to provide a direct answer or summary to in the first body sentence. Then, add supporting details.

For example, Healthline answers the main question posed by the H1 in this article about Botox:

It’s also helpful to break up information with:

• Bullet points for lists
• Short paragraphs (one to three sentences)
• Tables to display data

Add Original Insights and Expert Perspectives

Include original research, expert quotes, and unique data that competing pages don't have to make your content more likely to be cited by ChatGPT.

According to recent research on GEO, content with citations, quotations, and statistics is more likely to be referenced by AI systems.

Here are some ways to add unique value:

• Conduct original research or surveys in your industry
• Include expert quotes 
• Share real case studies and examples from your experience
• Add data and statistics from reputable sources

Before creating content, search your topic in Google, Bing, and ChatGPT (with web search enabled) to see what sources get cited. 

Identify what's missing or unclear. Then fill those gaps in your content.

The Semrush blog regularly publishes original research and data that sets our content apart:

Keep Your Content Updated

Keep your content updated because ChatGPT appears to favor recent sources when selecting what to cite. Even for evergreen topics.

Refreshing examples, adding new insights, and incorporating new statistics may improve your chances of being cited.

If you're covering information that changes frequently—like tool features or pricing—set reminders to review your pages regularly.

And use schema markup to indicate when a page was last updated. Also, display that date on the page. Like this:

Get Brand Mentions

Being mentioned on trusted sites may help your brand appear in more ChatGPT answers.

Look for opportunities to get featured in industry news outlets and active forum discussions.

You can contribute expert insights, answer questions, or share original data with journalists and bloggers in your field.

Let's say you own a gym in the Cortez Hill neighborhood of San Diego.

When you search “best gym in san diego” in ChatGPT, you might see citations for articles listing top gyms in the city.

Trying to get featured on lists like these as well as other authoritative sources like review sites could improve your visibility.

How to Track Your Brand's Visibility in ChatGPT

Tracking your visibility in ChatGPT helps you see which queries your brand shows up for so you can find and fill gaps.

Use Semrush’s Position Tracking tool to monitor your performance.

Open the tool and create a new project or edit an existing one.

Select “ChatGPT” as your search engine. (Check out our Position Tracking configuration guide for help with other settings.)

Once set up, you’ll see your visibility score, average position, and other insights related to your performance on ChatGPT.

Go to the “Overview” tab to see the exact queries you’re tracking, whether your site ranks for them in ChatGPT, and the specific ranking positions you hold.

Next, click the icon in the SF column.

You’ll see the actual ChatGPT answer and citations for that query

Analyze whether and how your content is being cited for each keyword and which other sources appear alongside you. Pay attention to the type of content, structure, and details that are used most by cited sources for each of your terms.

Then, use the insights you gain to adjust and improve your content. So you can close any gaps in your ChatGPT visibility.

To track your ChatGPT positions alongside your positions in other search engines, select the gear icon, click "Tracking [your domain]," and follow the same configuration process as before for a different search engine. 

Then, go to the “Devices & Locations” tab to see a comparison table.

Grow Your ChatGPT Visibility

More people are turning to ChatGPT for answers. And if your brand is showing up, that means you’re capitalizing on real opportunities for visibility and revenue.

Knowing where you stand is a great way to see how effective your approach is. But to truly grow your visibility in ChatGPT, try Semrush’s AI SEO Toolkit.

Get deep AI search insights like visibility overviews, competitor research, prompt research, brand performance, prompt tracking, and more.